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Posts for tag: porcelain veneers

Porcelain veneers are a great way to enhance an unattractive smile. But are they appropriate for teenagers? The answer usually depends on a patient’s current development stage and the type of veneer used.

Veneers are thin layers of porcelain bonded to the front of teeth. But even though quite thin, they can appear bulky if we don’t first remove some of the tooth’s enamel surface. This is irreversible, so the tooth may require a restoration from then on.

This could be a major issue for teens whose permanent teeth are still developing. During this period the tooth’s central pulp is relatively large and the dentin layer not fully developed. As a result, the pulp’s nerves are often closer to the surface than in an adult tooth. This increases risk of nerve damage during veneer preparation; if nerve damage occurs, the tooth could ultimately require a root canal treatment to save it.

On the other hand, some types of veneers don’t require tooth alteration (or only very little) beforehand. These “no-prep” or “minimal prep” veneers are best for certain situations like abnormally small teeth, so we must first determine if using such a veneer would be appropriate for your teen.

In effect, we’ll need to weigh these and other factors before determining if veneers are a safe choice for your teen. That being the case, it may be more advisable to consider more conservative cosmetic techniques first. For example, if enamel staining is the main issue, you could consider teeth whitening. Although the often amazing results eventually fade, whitening could still buy some time until the teeth have matured to safely apply veneers.

Slight deformities like chipping can often be corrected by bonding tooth-colored composite material to the tooth. In artistic hands it’s even possible to create a full veneer effect with very little if any tooth preparation. How much we can apply, though, depends on tooth size, and it won’t be as durable as a porcelain veneer.

With that said, veneers could be the right solution to enhance your teen’s smile. But, we’ll need to carefully consider their dental situation to ensure their new smile remains a healthy one.

Porcelain veneers are one of the best ways to transform your teeth’s appearance with only a small amount of tooth preparation. But even that small amount could leave a veneered tooth permanently altered.

As the name implies, veneers are thin layers of custom-designed porcelain bonded to the outside of a tooth to cover defects. They’re usually ideal for minor chipping, staining or even slight tooth misalignments. But although they’re thin—often just a millimeter or so in thickness—they can still make a tooth appear or feel bulky.

To reduce this extra width, we usually need to remove some of the tooth’s surface enamel. Since enamel doesn’t replenish itself, this alteration could mean the tooth will require a restoration from then on.

But now, you may be able to take advantage of new advances in this popular restoration: No-Prep or Minimal Prep veneers that involve little to no tooth alteration. In most cases they’re simply bonded to the teeth with only slight enamel reshaping.

Because of their ultra-thinness, No-Prep veneers (usually between 0.3 to 0.5 mm, as thin as a contact lens) are bonded directly to teeth that are practically untouched beforehand. A Minimal Prep veneer usually requires only enamel reshaping with an abrasive tool before it’s placed. And unlike traditional veneers, they can often be removed if needed to return the teeth to their original form without another restoration.

These new veneers are best for people with small teeth, often from wear due to teeth grinding, narrow smiles (the side teeth aren’t visible while smiling), or slightly misshapen teeth like underdeveloped teeth that can appear peg-shaped. But people with oversized teeth, some malocclusions (bad bites) or similar dental situations may still require enamel removal to avoid bulkiness even with ultra-thin veneers.

If you don’t have those kinds of issues and your teeth are reasonably healthy, we can apply No-Prep or Minimal Prep veneers in as few as two appointments. The result could be life-changing as you gain a new smile you’re more than happy to share.

There are a number of ways to improve unsightly teeth. You can, of course, replace them with dental implants — but not if they're still viable. You can crown them: however, you'll have to significantly reduce their structure for the crowns to fit over them.

There is another less invasive option for teeth with mild to moderate imperfections — you can cover them with porcelain veneers. As the name implies, a veneer is a thin covering of dental porcelain bonded to the outside surface of a tooth. They literally put a “new face” on chipped, stained or slightly gapped teeth.

You'll first need a dental examination to ensure your teeth are reasonably healthy and that you don't have any significant dental problems that could interfere with the veneers. We can then design your veneers' shape and color to achieve the look you desire. We can also create a temporary “trial smile” with acrylic replicas of your proposed veneers to give you a realistic impression of your future smile.

The next step is the possibility the teeth need to be prepared for the veneers. Although quite thin, veneers can still make the teeth look larger or bulky. To compensate, we remove some of the tooth enamel. Although much less than for a crown, this alteration is still permanent: your teeth will need some form of restoration from now on. There are also “no-prep” veneers, which require no tooth surface reduction.Â Ask us if this is an option.

We then make an impression of the teeth, which with other information will guide a technician at a dental laboratory to manually create your new veneers. This can take several weeks and requires a high degree of artistry to produce a custom product that will match your teeth.

Once they've arrived, we'll use a permanent bonding process to precisely attach them to your teeth.Â It will then be up to you to care for your veneers, especially not biting down on anything hard that could chip or crack them. You should also maintain regular dental visits and proper oral hygiene to keep your smile as bright and attractive as possible.

Although small in size, veneers can make a big impression. They can restore the smile you once had — or give you the look you've always wanted.

Porcelain veneers are positive proof that unattractive teeth don't always require an intensive restoration to regain their beauty. These thin layers of translucent porcelain — custom-designed and color-matched to blend with your other teeth — are permanently bonded to the visible side of your front teeth.

Although they can't remedy every tooth defect, they're well suited for mild to moderate disfigurements like chipping, staining or gaps. There are now two types of porcelain veneers: the traditional veneer and the “no-prep” veneer.

The standard veneers require some tooth structure removal, referred to as “tooth preparation.” This is because although they're a millimeter or less in thickness, they can still appear bulky if bonded to an unprepared tooth. To accommodate their width, it's necessary to remove some of the tooth enamel. This permanently alters the tooth so that it will need some form of restoration from that time on.

In recent years, however, other veneer options have emerged that reduces — or even eliminates — this tooth alteration. No-prep veneers are so thin they can be applied to a tooth with virtually no preparation. A more common option, minimal-prep, requires only a minor reshaping with an abrasive tool to ensure the fitted veneer looks as natural as possible. Because of their thinness, these veneers also don't have to fit under the gum line like standard veneers.

To obtain no- or minimal-prep veneers, your tooth enamel needs to be in good, healthy shape. They're also best suited for people with small or worn teeth, narrow smiles (the side teeth can't be seen from the front), or slightly stained or misshapen teeth.

Because there's little invasiveness, these low preparation veneers won't typically create tooth sensitivity and they can often be applied without any form of anesthesia. And because tooth structure isn't removed, they can be “uninstalled” to return to your natural look. Of course, that's not always an easy process since the bonding between veneer and the enamel is quite strong, although today's lasers can be used to detach the veneer quite easily.

If you'd like to consider these minimally invasive veneers, talk with your dentist. If you're a good candidate, you may be able to gain a new smile without much change to your natural teeth.

One of the best restorative options for slightly deformed, misaligned or stained teeth is a porcelain veneer. Composed of thin, laminated layers of dental material, the veneer is bonded to the outside of the tooth to transform both its shape and color to blend with other natural teeth.

Veneers are more than a technical process — they’re works of art produced by skilled artisans known as dental lab technicians. They use their skills to shape veneers into forms so life-like they can’t be distinguished from other teeth.

How technicians produce veneers depends on the material used. The mainstay for many years was feldspathic porcelain, a powdered material mixed with water to form a paste, which technicians use to build up layers on top of each other. After curing or “firing” in an oven, the finished veneer can mimic both the color variations and translucency of natural teeth.

Although still in use today, feldspathic porcelain does have limitations. It has a tendency to shrink during firing, and because it’s built up in layers it’s not as strong and shatter-resistant as a single composed piece. To address these weaknesses, a different type of veneer material reinforced with leucite came into use in the 1990s. Adding this mineral to the ceramic base, the core of the veneer could be formed into one piece by pressing the heated material into a mold. But while increasing its strength, early leucite veneers were thicker than traditional porcelain and only worked where extra space allowed for them.

This has led to the newest and most advanced form that uses a stronger type of glass ceramic called lithium disilicate. These easily fabricated veneers can be pressed down to a thickness of three tenths of a millimeter, much thinner than leucite veneers with twice the strength.Â And like leucite, lithium disilicate can be milled to increase the accuracy of the fit. It’s also possible to add a layer of feldspathic porcelain to enhance their appearance.

The science — and artistry — of porcelain veneers has come a long way over the last three decades. With more durable, pliable materials, you can have veneers that with proper care could continue to provide you an attractive smile for decades to come.